DOCSLIB.ORG

A Stone Age Family by Ushistory.Org, Adapted by Newsela Staff on 03.06.17 Word Count 874 Level 970L

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Stone Age Family by Ushistory.Org, Adapted by Newsela Staff on 03.06.17 Word Count 874 Level 970L Prehistoric Times: A Stone Age Family By USHistory.org, adapted by Newsela staff on 03.06.17 Word Count 874 Level 970L An illustration of a Neanderthal family. From the public domain. There was no written language 50,000 years ago, so we do not have much information on how a modern Stone Age family lived. Like the Flintstones, did they have leopard-skin suits, go barefoot and use a boulder for a bowling ball? Archaeologists and anthropologists, who study this time period, do have objects and bones that help them start to draw some conclusions. Scientists have used carbon dating to figure out the age of bones they find. Plants get carbon from the atmosphere, which helps them to grow. Humans eat the plants and get the carbon in their bodies and bones. When people die, their bodies stop taking in carbon and the carbon slowly leaves their bones over time. By measuring how much carbon is left in bones, scientists can tell how old they are. Now scientists measure potassium in the ash from volcanoes that was found alongside the bones. Because potassium is radioactive and decays over time, its age can be figured out as well. This tells scientists that the bones and objects found there can be millions of years old. Cave paintings and information about climate patterns also allow scientists to draw a picture of what life may have been like for Stone Age families. A big finding for the Leakeys This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. Our journey begins with Homo habilis. Mary and Louis Leakey were English archaeologists living in Africa who found Nutcracker Man in 1959. Digging in Africa's Olduvai Gorge, in present-day Tanzania, Mary Leakey found a skeleton with a giant skull that had a wide face, big cheekbones and large muscles around the face. It was almost 2 million years old. The skull also had enormous teeth that were four times the size of those of present humans. Nutcracker also had hands that began to look like ours. Its brain was nearly 50 percent larger than the brain of a later discovery named Lucy that was found in 1974. Lucy was over 3 million years old. Nutcracker was a hairy fellow, walked hunched over and had a large brain, but he was not very smart. Because he had teeth, hands and brain power, he became a new species, Homo habilis. In 1970, scientists made him an early member of the human family. Big brain, limited intelligence Next on our journey are the Neanderthals, who lived from 30,000 to 100,000 years ago in Europe. Homo sapiens neanderthalensis had a brain larger than many human brains today. While his brain was large, his intelligence was limited. However, Neanderthals did things that we think only modern humans do. For instance, they cared for their sick. One skeleton is that of a man who was 40 years old whose bones showed that he had severe arthritis and had lost most of his teeth. It would have been almost impossible for him to live 40 years unless someone took care of him. Neanderthals are the first group we know who buried their dead. They were buried with tools, weapons and food. Maybe they believed that there was life after death. They may have thought there were gods, too. They lived in caves, wore clothing made of animal skins, used fire and cooked their food. They may have even played music. An 80,000-year-old bone was found that could be made to play the notes "do, re, mi, fa." Neanderthals had strong bodies, powerful jaws, small chins, low foreheads and heavy bones above the eyes. Some scientists believe they ate other humans. Neanderthal disappeared without a trace around 30,000 to 35,000 years ago. Responsible for cave paintings Now we meet the Cro-Magnons, who are Homo sapiens, which means man with wisdom. We are Homo sapiens. Cro-Magnons lived mostly in southern France and Northern Spain. They drew elaborate cave paintings in places such as Lascaux and Vallon-Pont-d'Arc in France. Paintings of bulls tossing their heads, wounded bison charging a hunter, herds of reindeer escaping, and schools of swimming trout and salmon were just some of the pictures that we can still see today. From these paintings, we know that hunting was important. One group of people, the Magdalenians, lived in France and Western Europe some 15,000 years ago. Hunters dressed in animal skins and antlers to sneak up on the animals. Groups of hunters worked together to kill whole herds. They would chase them over cliffs or even herd them into natural corrals. Cro-Magnon people looked somewhat like you and me. They lived on earth for thousands of years, but disappeared about 10,500 years ago. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. A better way of living People living in Africa and advances in agriculture sparked the beginning of the Middle Stone Age. They began raising crops for food, which was the beginning of a new way of life for people. The Neolithic Age or New Stone Age was revolutionary. About 10,000 years ago, people learned to make better tools and weapons, built villages, and raised animals for food and work. They were beginning to live like "modern" people. Jarmo in present-day Iraq was one of the oldest little towns. At 8,750 years old, this town was home to 200 inhabitants. Catal Huyuk is in present-day Turkey. More than 3,000 people lived there 8,000 years ago. Slowly but surely they changed into modern human beings. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. Quiz 1 Read the paragraphs from the section "Big brain, limited intelligence." Neanderthals are the first group we know who buried their dead. They were buried with tools, weapons and food. Maybe they believed that there was life after death. They may have thought there were gods, too. They lived in caves, wore clothing made of animal skins, used fire and cooked their food. They may have even played music. An 80,000-year-old bone was found that could be made to play the notes "do, re, mi, fa." Which conclusion is BEST supported by the paragraphs? (A) Researchers are primarily interested in Neanderthals because they buried their dead. (B) Neanderthals spent a great deal of time together either eating or finding food. (C) Neanderthals enjoyed playing music as they sat around the fire cooking their food. (D) Researchers know little about what Neanderthals believed in and what they enjoyed doing. 2 Which of these sections of the article highlights the idea that information about the Stone Age has come from both science and cultural artifacts? (A) Introduction [paragraphs 1-2] (B) "A big finding for the Leakeys" (C) "Responsible for cave paintings" (D) "A better way of living" 3 Read the sentence from the section "A better way of living." People living in Africa and advances in agriculture sparked the beginning of the Middle Stone Age. Which of the following words, if it replaced "advances" in the sentence above, would CHANGE the meaning of the sentence? (A) developments (B) challenges (C) progress (D) improvements 4 Read the paragraph from the section "A better way of living." The Neolithic Age or New Stone Age was revolutionary. About 10,000 years ago, people learned to make better tools and weapons, built villages, and raised animals for food and work. They were beginning to live like "modern" people. In the first sentence of the paragraph, the word "revolutionary" conveys a sense of: (A) rebellion (B) importance (C) adventure (D) independence This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com..
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Middle Stone Age of East Africa and the Beginnings of Regional Identity
    Journal of Worm Prehistory, Vol. 2, No. 3. 1988 The Middle Stone Age of East Africa and the Beginnings of Regional Identity J. Desmond Clark ~ The history of research into the Middle Stone Age of East Africa and the present state of knowledge of this time period is examined for the region as a whole, with special reference to paleoenvironments. The known MSA sites and occurrences are discussed region by region and attempts are made to fit them into a more precise chronological framework and to assess their cultural affinities. The conclusion is reached that the Middle Stone Age lasted for some 150,000 years but considerably more systematic and in-depth research is needed into this time period, which is now perceived as of great significance since it appears to span the time of the evolution of anatomically Modern humans in the continent, perhaps in Last Africa. KEY WORDS: Middle Stone Age; Sangoan/Lupemban; long chronology; Archaic Homo sapiens; Modern H. sapiens. • . when we eventually find the skulls of the makers of the African Mousterian they will prove to be of non-Homo sapiens type, although probably not of Neanderthal type, but merely an allied race of Homo rhodesiensis. The partial exception.., of the Stillbay culture group is therefore explicable on the grounds that Homo sapiens influence was already at work. (Leakey, 1931, p. 326) The other view is that the cradle of the Aurignacian races lies hidden somewhere in the Sahara area, probably in the south-east, and that an early wave of movement carried one branch of the stock via Somaliland and the Straits of Bab el-Mandeb into Arabia, and thence to some unknown secondary centre of distribution in Asia.
    [Show full text]
  • Persistence of Middle Stone Age Technology to the Pleistocene/Holocene Transition Supports a Complex Hominin Evolutionary Scenario in West Africa
    This is a repository copy of Persistence of Middle Stone Age technology to the Pleistocene/Holocene transition supports a complex hominin evolutionary scenario in West Africa. White Rose Research Online URL for this paper: http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/129212/ Version: Accepted Version Article: Scerri, E.M.L., Blinkhorn, J., Niang, K. et al. (2 more authors) (2017) Persistence of Middle Stone Age technology to the Pleistocene/Holocene transition supports a complex hominin evolutionary scenario in West Africa. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 11. pp. 639-646. ISSN 2352-409X https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2017.01.003 Reuse This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND) licence. This licence only allows you to download this work and share it with others as long as you credit the authors, but you can’t change the article in any way or use it commercially. More information and the full terms of the licence here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ Takedown If you consider content in White Rose Research Online to be in breach of UK law, please notify us by emailing [email protected] including the URL of the record and the reason for the withdrawal request. [email protected] https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/ Persistence of Middle Stone Age technology to the Pleistocene/Holocene transition supports a complex hominin evolutionary scenario in West Africa Eleanor M.L. Scerria*, James Blinkhornb, Khady Niangc, Mark D. Batemand, Huw S. Groucutta a Research
    [Show full text]
  • Behavioural Complexity and Modern Traits in the Philippine Upper Palaeolithic
    Behavioural Complexity and Modern Traits in the Philippine Upper Palaeolithic AlFred F. PAwlIk introduction The discussion of cultural, cognitive, and behavioral modernity has a long tradition in europe’s prehistoric archaeology ( Dibble 1989; Hahn 1986; Jelinek 1982; klein 1995, 1999; Mellars 1989a, 1989b). The appearance of specialized blade indus- tries, bone and antler tools, and especially figurative art, musical instruments, and personal ornaments are seen as significant indicators of the highly developed cultural and cognitive abilities of their makers (Clottes 2001; Conard 2003; Conard et al. 2004). The seemingly sudden appearance of expressive art and symbolism together with complex tool technologies in europe at around 40,000 years ago has been attributed to explosive cultural and cognitive advancement with the arrival of ana- tomically modern Homo sapiens ( Klein and Blake 2002; Mellars 1991; Mithen 1996). Whether this Upper Palaeolithic revolution in europe was due to social factors or genetic mutation, was related to changes in the ecosystem, or has a cultural expla- nation (such as competition with another human species, the Neanderthals) is still under debate ( Bar-Yossef 2002; Conard et al. 2004; d’errico 2003; Haidle 2006; McBrearty and Brooks 2000; Mellars 2005; Zilhão 2001). Yet, the “human revolu- tion” model is used to explain the success of the Homo sapiens immigrants over the Neanderthals ( Bräuer and Smith 1992; Conard 2006, 2008; Mellars 2005). On the other hand, potential indicators of an earlier and gradually developing cul- tural and cognitive modernity have been seen in African assemblages. The appearance of some modern cognitive traits (e.g., production of projectile points, shell-fishing, personal ornaments, notational or incised pieces, and pigment processing) in Africa has been dated back to the Middle Pleistocene, earlier than the first evidence of ana- tomically modern hominids 200,000 years ago (Henshilwood et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Plant Foods and the Dietary Ecology of Neanderthals and Early Modern Humans
    Journal of Human Evolution xxx (2014) 1e11 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Human Evolution journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jhevol Plant foods and the dietary ecology of Neanderthals and early modern humans Amanda G. Henry a,*, Alison S. Brooks b, Dolores R. Piperno c,d a Plant Foods in Hominin Dietary Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany b Department of Anthropology, Center for Advanced Study of Hominid Paleobiology, The George Washington University, 2110 G St NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA c Program in Human Ecology and Archaeobiology, Department of Anthropology, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC 20013- 7012, USA d Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Box 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancon, Panama article info abstract Article history: One of the most important challenges in anthropology is understanding the disappearance of Nean- Received 3 February 2012 derthals. Previous research suggests that Neanderthals had a narrower diet than early modern humans, Accepted 22 December 2013 in part because they lacked various social and technological advances that lead to greater dietary variety, Available online xxx such as a sexual division of labor and the use of complex projectile weapons. The wider diet of early modern humans would have provided more calories and nutrients, increasing fertility, decreasing Keywords: mortality and supporting large population sizes, allowing them to out-compete Neanderthals. However, Phytolith this model for Neanderthal dietary behavior is based on analysis of animal remains, stable isotopes, and Starch grain Microfossil other methods that provide evidence only of animal food in the diet.
    [Show full text]
  • Paleolithic Era Jiùshíqì Shídài ​旧石器时代 C
    ◀ Pakistan-China Relations Comprehensive index starts in volume 5, page 2667. Paleolithic Era Jiùshíqì shídài ​旧石器时代 c. 2 million y.b.p.– c. 10,000 y.b.p. China’s Paleolithic era, also known as the for- in Africa. Slightly later Homo erectus appeared in East aging era, started about 2 million years ago Africa. Their fossils were discovered in Asia as well. The and ended about 10,000 years ago. The large fossils of Homo erectus are the oldest human fossils dis- span of this era can be divided into the Lower, covered beyond Africa. Middle, and Upper periods, each generally correlating with significant change in hu- man evolution. As time went on, human-made​­ The Lower Foraging Era tools became more sophisticated and human Most of the lower foraging-era​­ human fossils and cultural population also increased. layers were found above ground. It is difficult, however, to determine whether stone objects from some early Pleis- tocene sites were human made or natural. he Paleolithic, literally the “Old Stone Age” (also known as the foraging era), is a prehistoric era Model for Banpo, a Neolithic (or New Stone Age) characterized by the use of percussion stone tools village dating to about 4,000 bce. The villagers by humans. In geological terms this period falls within of Banpo, despite their more advanced stage of the Pleistocene period, which began some 3 to 2 million civilization, still used many of the tools con- years ago. Archaeological materials suggest that China’s ceived during the Paleolithic era. Photo by Joan foraging era started some 2 million years ago and ended Lebold Cohen.
    [Show full text]
  • The History of Prehistoric Research in Indonesia to 1950
    The History of Prehistoric Research in Indonesia to 1950 Received 16 January 1968 R. P. SOE]ONO INTRODUCTION HE oldest description of material valuable for prehistoric recording in future times was given by G. E. Rumphius at the beginning of the eighteenth century. Rum­ T phius mentioned the veneration of historical objects by local peoples, and even now survivals of the very remote past retain their respect. On several islands we also notice a continuation of prehistoric traditions and art. Specific prehistoric relics, like many other archaeological remains, are holy to most of the inhabitants because of their quaint, uncommon shapes. As a result, myths are frequently created around these objects. An investigator is not permitted to inspect the bronze kettle­ drum kept in a temple at Pedjeng (Bali) and he must respect the people's devout feelings when he attempts to observe megalithic relics in the Pasemah Plateau (South Sumatra); these facts accentuate the persistence oflocal veneration even today. In spite of the veneration of particular objects, which in turn favors their preservation, many other relics have been lost or destroyed through digging or looting by treasure hunters or other exploiters seeking economic gain. Moreover, unqualified excavators have com­ pounded the problem. P. V. van Stein Callenfels, originally a specialist in Hindu-Indonesian archaeology, be­ came strongly aware of neglect in the field of prehistoric archaeology, and he took steps to begin systematic research. During his visit to kitchen middens in East Sumatra during a tour of inspection in 1920 for the Archaeological Service, he met with the digging of shell heaps for shell for limekilns.
    [Show full text]
  • Stone Age Technology
    World’s Early People DIGGING UP DNA STONE AGE TECHNOLOGY IN PARTNERSHIP WITH Worlds_Early_People_FC.indd 1 2/7/17 11:22 AM 2 Who Lived in the Stone Age? When you think of “old,” what comes to But they helped hominins to thrive. mind? Last year’s shoes? Life before the The first species to make tools is from the Internet? Try a little earlier – 2.5 million genus (category) we call Homo (human). It years earlier! is known as Homo habilis, or “handy That’s about the time some of the first person.” It most likely lived in Africa 1.5 hominins, or humanlike species that walk to 2.4 million years ago. Homo habilis upright, started making tools from rocks. represented a big change. How big? Big Their tools were simple – mainly stones enough that we call its time the Paleolithic split to form a point or a sharp edge. era, or the Old Stone Age. l THE BRAINS ability to make of Homo habilis and use tools. were about Homo habilis’s half the size of tools and brain- present-day human power helped it brains. However, spread. Over the brains of Homo millennia, it habilis were larger adapted, or made than the brains changes that of the hominins helped it survive, to that came before live in regions that it. This may have earlier species had contributed to its found too harsh. d HOMO ERECTUS, or early as 2.5 million communities, hunt “upright person,” years ago, Homo for food, create art, was probably a lot erectus was at its and control fire like Homo habilis, peak about 1.9 for warmth and but taller and thin- million years ago.
    [Show full text]
  • Continuity in Animal Resource Diversity in the Late Pleistocene Human Diet of Central Portugal
    Continuity in animal resource diversity in the Late Pleistocene human diet of Central Portugal Bryan Hockett US Bureau of Land Management, Elko District Office, 3900 East Idaho Street, Elko, NV 89801 USA [email protected] Jonathan Haws Department of Anthropology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292 USA [email protected] Keywords Palaeolithic, diet, nutritional ecology, Portugal, Neanderthals Abstract Archaeologists studying the human occupation of Late Pleistocene Iberia have identified the Late Upper Palaeolithic, including the Pleistocene-Holocene transition, as a time of resource intensification, diversification and speciali- sation. The primary drivers for these changes were argued to be the result of population-resource imbalances triggered by the postglacial climatic warming and human population growth. Recent research, however, has pushed resource intensification and diversification back in time to the Early Upper Palaeolithic in Iberia and beyond. Dietary diversity may have given anatomically modern humans a selective advantage over Neanderthals. In this article we review the accumulated evidence for Late Middle and Upper Palaeolithic diet in central Portugal, emphasising the importance of small animal exploitation. We incorporate results from on-going research at Lapa do Picareiro and other sites to explore the possibility that the dietary choices of modern foragers in Iberia contrib- uted to the extinction of the Neanderthal populations occupying the region until ca 30,000 14C BP. 1 Introduction Archaeologists studying the human occupation of Late Pleistocene with one that linked situational shifts in Pleistocene Iberia often frame explanations for their different types of small game to human population subsistence economies within the now-classic ‘Broad pulses.
    [Show full text]
  • Human Origin Sites and the World Heritage Convention in Eurasia
    World Heritage papers41 HEADWORLD HERITAGES 4 Human Origin Sites and the World Heritage Convention in Eurasia VOLUME I In support of UNESCO’s 70th Anniversary Celebrations United Nations [ Cultural Organization Human Origin Sites and the World Heritage Convention in Eurasia Nuria Sanz, Editor General Coordinator of HEADS Programme on Human Evolution HEADS 4 VOLUME I Published in 2015 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 7, place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP, France and the UNESCO Office in Mexico, Presidente Masaryk 526, Polanco, Miguel Hidalgo, 11550 Ciudad de Mexico, D.F., Mexico. © UNESCO 2015 ISBN 978-92-3-100107-9 This publication is available in Open Access under the Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO (CC-BY-SA 3.0 IGO) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo/). By using the content of this publication, the users accept to be bound by the terms of use of the UNESCO Open Access Repository (http://www.unesco.org/open-access/terms-use-ccbysa-en). The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The ideas and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors; they are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization. Cover Photos: Top: Hohle Fels excavation. © Harry Vetter bottom (from left to right): Petroglyphs from Sikachi-Alyan rock art site.
    [Show full text]
  • Life and Death at the Pe Ş Tera Cu Oase
    Life and Death at the Pe ş tera cu Oase 00_Trinkaus_Prelims.indd i 8/31/2012 10:06:29 PM HUMAN EVOLUTION SERIES Series Editors Russell L. Ciochon, The University of Iowa Bernard A. Wood, George Washington University Editorial Advisory Board Leslie C. Aiello, Wenner-Gren Foundation Susan Ant ó n, New York University Anna K. Behrensmeyer, Smithsonian Institution Alison Brooks, George Washington University Steven Churchill, Duke University Fred Grine, State University of New York, Stony Brook Katerina Harvati, Univertit ä t T ü bingen Jean-Jacques Hublin, Max Planck Institute Thomas Plummer, Queens College, City University of New York Yoel Rak, Tel-Aviv University Kaye Reed, Arizona State University Christopher Ruff, John Hopkins School of Medicine Erik Trinkaus, Washington University in St. Louis Carol Ward, University of Missouri African Biogeography, Climate Change, and Human Evolution Edited by Timothy G. Bromage and Friedemann Schrenk Meat-Eating and Human Evolution Edited by Craig B. Stanford and Henry T. Bunn The Skull of Australopithecus afarensis William H. Kimbel, Yoel Rak, and Donald C. Johanson Early Modern Human Evolution in Central Europe: The People of Doln í V ĕ stonice and Pavlov Edited by Erik Trinkaus and Ji ří Svoboda Evolution of the Hominin Diet: The Known, the Unknown, and the Unknowable Edited by Peter S. Ungar Genes, Language, & Culture History in the Southwest Pacifi c Edited by Jonathan S. Friedlaender The Lithic Assemblages of Qafzeh Cave Erella Hovers Life and Death at the Pe ş tera cu Oase: A Setting for Modern Human Emergence in Europe Edited by Erik Trinkaus, Silviu Constantin, and Jo ã o Zilh ã o 00_Trinkaus_Prelims.indd ii 8/31/2012 10:06:30 PM Life and Death at the Pe ş tera cu Oase A Setting for Modern Human Emergence in Europe Edited by Erik Trinkaus , Silviu Constantin, Jo ã o Zilh ã o 1 00_Trinkaus_Prelims.indd iii 8/31/2012 10:06:30 PM 3 Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford.
    [Show full text]
  • 1. Stone Age Technology in India
    Stone AEe Technologv in India K,PADDAYYA ABSTRACT This paper presents a review of various aspects of Stone Age (Palaeolithic and Mesolithic) general technology in lndia. After initial remarks about the history of Prehistoric studies and culture Sequence, detailed observations are made about how changes in raw material of utilization, experienced from time to time, and consequent improvements in techniques tool-manufacture and tooltypes themselves led to changes in subsistence and settlement patterns of Stone Age hunter-gatherer groups. The review concludes with remarks highlighting the need for identification of regional settlement systems, functional interpretation of lithic of non- assemblages, study of present-day use of stone for various purposes, and recognition utilitarian dimensions of Stone Age technology. CONTENTS l.lNTRODUCT10N 2.HISttORY OF PREHISttORiC RESEARCH 3 FIRST PARADIGM 4.PARADIGM SHIFT 5.FRESH FIELD RESEARCH 6.GENERAL CULttURE SEQUENCE 7.USE OF ORCANIC MAttERIALS 8.LITHIC ttECHNOLOGY A.lmprovements in raw mateHal ulllza10n 9.SttUDIES iN TECHNOLOGY A.Lower PalaeolithlC B.Mlddle and Upper Palaeolithic C.Mesolnhic 10 GENERALTRENDS ロ ロ 暉 r‐ ‐ ロ ロ 口 ‐ 甲 甲 ― ― ― ― ― ■ ■ 口 ‐ 口 ‐ 口 甲 暉 "― ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ 甲 ・ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||■ ANCIENT INDiA,NEW SERIES,NO.1 11. TASKS AHEAD A" Regional adaPtive sYstems B. Functional interPretations C. Rspects of non-utilitarian behaviour learning D. Ethnography as a source of 「 IIIiDIDNOTPROGRESSUNIFORMLYORSTEADILYBUTHEDIDPROGRESSONTHE1/VHOLE MAKING AND T00L― USiNG CREATURE WHO FROM A FAIRLY INEFFICIENT AN!MAL TO A T00L― DOMINATED THE VVHOLE PLANET BY HIS NUMBERS AND B漱 ::[:η晏[li:Fギ ∫」][担 ACTIVITY,AND HAS NOⅥ′ONLY TO LEARN TO CONTROL Hい I. INTRODUCTION upon certain aspects a review of the evidence bearing paper I propose to present by H' D' 7futhis This topic was first dealt with ur,d Mesolithic t"tft*togy in lndia' Llof Palaeolithi.
    [Show full text]
  • The Use of Ochre and Painting During the Upper Paleolithic of the Swabian Jura in the Context of the Development of Ochre Use in Africa and Europe
    Open Archaeology 2018; 4: 185–205 Original Study Sibylle Wolf*, Rimtautas Dapschauskas, Elizabeth Velliky, Harald Floss, Andrew W. Kandel, Nicholas J. Conard The Use of Ochre and Painting During the Upper Paleolithic of the Swabian Jura in the Context of the Development of Ochre Use in Africa and Europe https://doi.org/10.1515/opar-2018-0012 Received June 8, 2017; accepted December 13, 2017 Abstract: While the earliest evidence for ochre use is very sparse, the habitual use of ochre by hominins appeared about 140,000 years ago and accompanied them ever since. Here, we present an overview of archaeological sites in southwestern Germany, which yielded remains of ochre. We focus on the artifacts belonging exclusively to anatomically modern humans who were the inhabitants of the cave sites in the Swabian Jura during the Upper Paleolithic. The painted limestones from the Magdalenian layers of Hohle Fels Cave are a particular focus. We present these artifacts in detail and argue that they represent the beginning of a tradition of painting in Central Europe. Keywords: ochre use, Middle Stone Age, Swabian Jura, Upper Paleolithic, Magdalenian painting 1 The Earliest Use of Ochre in the Homo Lineage Modern humans have three types of cone cells in the retina of the eye. These cells are a requirement for trichromatic vision and hence, a requirement for the perception of the color red. The capacity for trichromatic vision dates back about 35 million years, within our shared evolutionary lineage in the Catarrhini subdivision of the higher primates (Jacobs, 2013, 2015). Trichromatic vision may have evolved as a result of the benefits for recognizing ripe yellow, orange, and red fruits in front of a background of green foliage (Regan et al., Article note: This article is a part of Topical Issue on From Line to Colour: Social Context and Visual Communication of Prehistoric Art edited by Liliana Janik and Simon Kaner.
    [Show full text]